1. University of Puerto Rico - Cayey
RISE Program
Template for Laboratory Summaries of Assignment 3 Biol. 4997-Biomedical Techniques
Due date May 4, 2012
Reg.# 5 Name Angélica M. González-Sánchez Date: May 3, 2012.
Paragraph 1. Nanotechnology and Electron Microscopy.
Since there were some technical problems that did not allow us to use most of the lab equipment, this
laboratory functioned more as a conference than as an experiment. However, the main objectives of the
laboratory were accomplished because we learned about the field of Nanotechnology and the
instrumentation that is currently used in this research area. In thePhysics’ laboratories we were able to
learn about its equipment, as for example vacuum chambers. We also observed the functioning of an
electron microscope and the incredible power of its magnification. By observing several nano-scale
objects, we got acknowledge that although electron microscopy is really powerful in terms of
amplification, the quality of its image can be affected by charge. From this laboratory it can be determined
that the field of Nanotechnology has huge implications in other areas of Science. Its wide range of
applications makes it a very relevant field for human life. In fact, nanotechnology is actually used to
develop nanostructures that can improve medical equipment, such as biomedical implants. Biocompatible
compounds developed with nanotechnology, for example hidroxiapatite,make implants more resilient and
also increase the body’s acceptance towards them.
Paragraph 2. Water sampling, testing and statistical application.
On this laboratory the expected objectives were reached because we understood the concepts of a
statistical analysis and those of a chemical water analysis as well. First, we learned to use the software of
Excell to make a statistical analysis. This allowed us to understand the great span of calculations that can
be applied with this software. We also comprehended the term of water quality and the factors that affect
it. Although water quality has several different definitions, it can be defined as a condition of the water on
which it is not contaminated with microorganisms, metals, toxic chemicals, among others. To apply the
conceptual basis of water quality evaluation, we analyzed water samples from different rivers. This
analysis was made by the colorimetry technique, which measures the absorbance and transmittance of
colors through a sample to determine the relative concentrations of different compounds. In our
experiment we determined the nitrate concentration in our water samples, which resulted to be very low.
This probably means that the water shed of the river from which we took the sample doesn’t receive
much surface runoff from agricultural areas with fertilizers or waste products from septic systems. From
all the conclusions and studied concepts, it can be determined that both statistical and chemical water
analyses are very useful for several areas of Science and Math. In the context of this experiment, this
type of analysis has broad implications in determining the safety of water for human consumption. For
example, knowledge of the nitrate concentration in a water sample allows avoidingingesting water with
high nitrate levels, which can cause illnesses such as methemoglobinemia. This illness decreases the
capacity of blood to transport oxygen, so less oxygen is transported from the lungs to the body tissues.